Ecwid vs Shopify
- Easily integrates into most website builders, blogging tools and social network
- Excellent built-in features and great selection of third-party apps
- Affordable pricing structure with even better prices for businesses with fewer products
Ecwid is unlike most eCommerce solutions on the market - rather than being an all-in-one solution, it’s more of an add-on integration. Ecwid is compatible with most website builders including Wix, WordPress, Tumblr and many more. One of the best things about Ecwid is that it adapts to your current website’s design and does not alter it in any way. This allows you to easily add an online store section to your existing website without having to redo any of the design. Ecwid is simple to use for beginners and packs a lot of features that even advanced users will love. If you already have a full functional website and simply want to add an online store, Ecwid is a great option for you.
- Plenty of storefront customization options
- Massive selection of powerful themes and apps
- Friendly 24/7 customer support via multiple channels
Shopify is definitely among the top rated options when it comes to all-in-one eCommerce platforms on the internet. Based out of Ontario, Canada, this platform has millions of users and is currently powering hundreds of thousands of websites on the internet. They make it simple for just about anyone to open an online store, even without any prior knowledge in the subject. With dozens upon dozens of themes to choose from and with hundreds of third-party integrations, you will easily be able to put together an online store that looks and functions the way you’ve always imagined. If you’re looking for a simple to use website builder with excellent reliability and outstanding support, you’re going to love Shopify.
Being able to choose the best way to sell your products online allows you to optimize your profits and make the most out of your business. However, it’s not always a simple task to narrow down just one eCommerce platform out of the numerous dozens of eligible options.
In order to simplify your decision, we’re going to compare two of the most popular eCommerce solutions available online - Shopify and Ecwid. Both of these platforms have a lot to offer to merchants, making it easy for you to grow your business and make the most profits imaginable. Whether you’re looking for simple to use dashboards, very affordable solutions or even if you need outstanding customer support, we’re going to show you which option can provide the best options for your needs.
Ecwid and Shopify Compared
When comparing Shopify and Ecwid, there are two main differences to consider - Shopify helps you build an online store from scratch, whereas Ecwid helps you transform an existing website into an online store. With this in mind, it should already become much easier to make up your mind. If you already own a website, you should probably opt for Ecwid, since it will easily adapt to your existing web design without affecting the existing content or web pages that are already in place. However, if you don’t have a website, Shopify may become the better option. Let’s look at both options in more depth.
Technical Comparison
The uptime guarantee is an important factor to consider when you’re choosing an eCommerce solution. Shopify is one of the most reliable platforms for online stores. It has an excellent uptime of roughly 99.98%, which means their websites rarely experience downtimes. Ecwid on the other hand will become highly dependent on other factors such as your hosting provider. Another downside to choosing Ecwid is that they seem to have quite a lot of incidents on a regular basis. They do provide an incident status report page, so you can monitor incidents and maintenance. Finally, we analyzed site loading speed. Both Ecwid and Shopify scored similarly, but Ecwid is much more variable. Once again, Ecwid’s site loading times vary greatly according to your hosting provider, the chosen website builder and optimizations that you already have in place. Unless you optimize everything to perfection, Shopify is the clear winner in the technical department.
Customer Support
Customer support is very important when running an online store - you’ll want to be sure that help is right around the corner at all times. Fortunately, both Ecwid and Shopify have good support teams. However, Shopify takes the win in this category too, by providing faster assistance and having more qualified experts. Nonetheless, both platforms offer email, live chat and phone support as well as having extensive knowledge bases and community forums. Unless customer support is the most important factor that you are considering, you shouldn’t notice much difference by choosing one platform or the other. We had great customer support experiences with both platforms, so either one should be able to satisfy your needs when you’re in need of assistance with minor issues.
Features
Shopify is well-known for having a complete solution for online store owners. When using Shopify, you can easily integrate just about any type of function imaginable. Whether you want to add live chat support to your online store, integrate different payment processors or even add drop shipping services, Shopify has it all. Whatever you can’t find in their built-in tools, you should easily be able to find within their apps marketplace. With thousands of available third-party integrations, you should have no issues finding all the required functions for your online store. Ecwid also has a nice amount of functions that can be added to your online store, but they don’t have nearly as many features as Shopify. While Ecwid should be able to satisfy most online merchants, it may not have the exact functions you seek if you’re searching for very niche specific tools.
As far as ease of use is concerned, Shopify is incredibly simple to setup and maintain. Even new users with no experience will have an easy time using Shopify. Ecwid is a little more complex. You first need to purchase a domain and pay for a hosting plan. Then you must build your website and then integrate the Ecwid add-on. The entire process requires basic webmaster skills, but remains easy enough to do for most people. Overall, Shopify is an easier solution for people who just want to quickly build an online store without dealing with too many complications.
Design
Shopify offers a vast amount of quality themes for you to choose from. This makes it easy for you to find niche templates regardless of your store. Whether you’re selling niche products or everyday items, you’ll most likely be able to find a Shopify theme that not only suits your product line but also looks great and delivers excellent performance. Most of Shopify’s free themes should be enough for basic stores, but if you want to get the best possible performance and functions, Shopify also has premium themes that come at a variable price. Ecwid is different - rather than providing you with actual themes, this eCommerce solution adapts to your current website. This means you won’t have to worry about losing your website’s design if you already have an existing website.
Prices
Ecwid and Shopify both have affordable eCommerce solutions that can allow you to set up an entire online store for cheap. However, keep in mind that with Ecwid, you will also need to pay for a domain name and hosting - Shopify is a complete eCommerce platform and these services are provided. Ecwid has a free plan that allows you to list up to 10 products at no cost and without having to subscribe to a monthly paid membership. Shopify charges you transaction fees and the cost for themes can be quite expensive, especially when you consider that Ecwid has no need for themes. Additionally, Ecwid has no transaction fees, but they do require you to upgrade your plan as you grow, which ends up costing you about the same amount. Overall, both Shopify and Ecwid have their ups and downs, but pricing will end up being quite similar.
The Final Verdict: Ecwid or Shopify
Overall, Shopify and Ecwid are two very different eCommerce platforms that deliver two very unique experiences. If you’re looking for an all-in-one eCommerce platform, Shopify is the ideal solution for you needs. With a full set of features, you will be able to integrate just about any function you could possibly need. Whether you need various support channels, a blog or even if you want to integrate abandoned cart optimizations, Shopify makes it all available. Pricing is affordable and the entire platform is simple to use.
With Ecwid, you get the benefit of being able to integrate it into any existing website. This can be incredibly useful since many companies already have their own websites and may prefer simply integrating a shopping cart solution for their products. Ecwid is also very affordable and comes with powerful features.
In the end, the decision will really come down to one thing - do you have an existing website?
If you do have a website already in place, Ecwid is the best option for your needs. If you don’t have a website, you should definitely consider going the Shopify route.
